It took a long eight months for Justin Welby to be named as successor to Rowan Williams as Archbishop of Canterbury. Of course, such patience is a virtue but what of the new Chief Rabbi? Lord Sacks announced in December 2010 that he was stepping down but still no successor has been found, partly due to a lack of candidates.

It is now causing concern in the Lords. Crossbencher Baroness Deech has blogged on the issue. “His retirement date has been known for years and as yet the selection committee has not come up with the name of a successor,” she writes. “We could all do with some good men attempting to give moral guidance in these troubled times. It’s rather like being director-general of the BBC ...” Or not.